Extreme Football Tourism: NETHERLANDS: SV Egchel (1968-2024) / PEC '20 (B) (2024-)

Sportpark De Wietel, Panningen (B ground of PEC '20, formerly SV Egchel)

Netherlands, province: Limburg

September 2024 / no match visited

Timeline

1958 / Foundation of a football club in Egchel, a hamlet in the northern half of the Dutch part of Limburg, with Sportvereniging (SV) Egchel being the name chosen. The founding fathers of the club are Jo Manders, Wie Korsten, and Funs Reijnen. The first pitch of SV Egchel is situated at Ringovenstraat in nearby Panningen. For the 1958-59 season, the club’s first team is placed in Division 4 of the Limburgse Voetbalbond (LVB), the league association organising football in Limburg below the level of KNVB Sunday League 4.
1959 / In its first season, SV Egchel wins the title in LVB Division 4, thus acceding to LVB Division 3.
1960 / Achieving the title in LVB Division 3, SV Egchel wins promotion to LVB Division 2. Also in 1960, the club moves away from Terrein Ringovenstraat, settling at the newly laid-out Sportpark De Kemp, which is inaugurated by Helden’s mayor P.M.J.S. Cremers.
1963 / Winning the title in LVB Division 2, SV Egchel accedes to LVB Division 1.
1964 / Winning the title in LVB Division 1 – the club’s fourth title in five seasons – SV Egchel accedes to KNVB Sunday League 4 for the first time.
1968 / Winning the title in District South II’s Sunday League 4G, 2 points ahead of closest followers RKVV BEVO, SV Egchel accedes to Sunday League 3 for the first time. Also in 1968, SV Egchel abandons Sportpark De Kemp, the soil of which turns out to be particularly barren; the club settles at the newly laid-out Sportpark De Wietel, which in fact is not situated in Egchel, but at Emmastraat in Panningen. The facilities are inaugurated by Helden’s mayor M.P. Hoeijmakers.
1969 / In its first season in District South II’s Sunday League 3 (C), SV Egchel comes close to a sensational new promotion, in the end missing out on the title and having to settle for second place, 4 points behind derby rivals SV Panningen.
1970 / SV Egchel finishes as runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 3D, 1 point behind champions RKSV Blerick. In the following years, the club does not come close to the first places anymore.
1975 / SV Egchel’s new clubhouse at Sportpark De Wietel is inaugurated by Helden’s mayor M.P. Hoeijmakers.
1979 / Finishing in second-last place in District South II’s Sunday League 3D, SV Egchel experiences the first relegation in club history, dropping back into Sunday League 4 along with bottom club vv EWC ’46. In the following decade, the club is an anonymous force in Sunday League 4.
1992 / Coached by Peter Cober, SV Egchel wins the title in District South II’s Sunday League 4G, 3 points ahead of closest rivals RKVV Baarlo, and with just one defeat suffered in the entire season.
1993 / Coached by Peter Cober, SV Egchel finishes in third place in District South II’s Sunday League 3D. Qualifying for the promotion play-offs, the club wins the group stage against SC Irene and Sparta ’18, going on to defeat vv Roosteren in the final (0-4). As such, SV Egchel accedes to Sunday League 2 for the first time in club history.
1994 / Still coached by Peter Cober, SV Egchel is unable to cope at League 2 level, finishing in second-last place in District South II’s Sunday League 2B, dropping back into League 3 along with bottom club VVV ’03.
1996 / Finishing in third place in District South II’s Sunday League 3C, SV Egchel qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which it reaches the final against RKSV Venlo, played at Sportpark De Dèl in Panningen – going on to win the match and thus return to Sunday League 2 after an absence of two seasons.
1997 / In the best season in club history, SV Egchel finishes in seventh place in Sunday League 2H.
1999 / Finishing bottom of the table in Sunday League 2H, SV Egchel drops back into Sunday League 3 along with the club finishing in second-last place, RKSVN.
2001 / Finishing in second-last place in District South II’s Sunday League 3D, SV Egchel descends into Sunday League 4 along with bottom club RKOSV Achates.
2003 / Champions in District South II’s Sunday League 4F, 2 points ahead of runners-up HBSV, SV Egchel manages a return to Sunday League 3.
2004 / Finishing in joint tenth place in District South II’s Sunday League 3C with RKVV Heel, SV Egchel has to play a tie-break match against that club to avoid relegation – but, suffering a defeat, the club drops back into League 4 along with bottom side RKSVN.
2008 / Finishing in last place in District South II’s Sunday League 4E, SV Egchel descends into Sunday League 5 (the successor of LVB Division 1, which was abolished in 1996) for the first time in club history, with RKVV BEVO being the second drop-out.
2011 / Champions in District South II’s Sunday League 5E, 1 point ahead of DEV-Arcen, SV Egchel wins promotion to Sunday League 4.
2012 / Finishing in second-last place in District South II’s Sunday League 4F, SV Egchel drops back into League 5 along with bottom club RKSV Venlo (which, incidentally, ceases all activities following the 2011-12 season).
2013 / Finishing in second-last place in District South II’s Sunday League 5E, SV Egchel descends into Sunday League 6 for the first time in club history, along with bottom side RKPVV. Also in 2013, a covered stand is erected alongside the main pitch of Sportpark De Wietel.
2015 / Runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 6B, 4 points behind champions RKVV Obbicht, SV Egchel qualifies for the promotion play-offs – in fact, a special edition of those play-offs, given that Sunday League 6 was due to be abolished; as such, SV Egchel and other League 6 teams were allowed to participate in the League 5 play-offs, with promotion to Sunday League 4 being at stake. Winning the group stage against RKVV Eindse Boys (2-2) and RKVV Rood-Wit ’67 (2-0), SV Egchel qualifies for the final, played at vv Helden’s Sportpark Kerkeböske – in which it stumbles over vv Koningslust (2-0), thus eventually missing out on promotion and being placed in Sunday League 5 for the new season.
2021 / SV Egchel merges its youth academy with neighbour club SV Panningen. From now on, youth teams play under the new name SJO PEC ’20 (Samenwerking Jeugdopleidingen Panningen-Egchel-Combinatie 2020).
2023 / Finishing in tenth place in District South II’s Sunday League 5C, SV Egchel withdraws from first team football, instead just competing with reserves’ teams.
2024 / Three years after the merging of the two clubs’ youth academies, SV Egchel and SV Panningen conclude a fully-fledged merger deal with the already established name PEC ’20. Virtually all activities move to SV Panningen’s Sportpark Panningen-Noord, with SV Egchel’s Sportpark De Wietel remaining in use for training sessions for the time being.